Plea Bargaining In The Criminal Justice System

I do believe that there are instances where plea bargaining can be an effective tool in the criminal justice system, however, as it stands, the overuse of the plea bargain by prosecutors has diminished it’s potential worth as a true bargaining tool by their flagrant daily misuse. While it is understood that the case load for the courts is overwhelmed and an alternative method of securing some form of justice is needed to alleviate the overrun system, the use of the plea bargain to alleviate the overcrowded courts is not completely acceptable.
As offenders are permitted to make deals for crimes committed because of lack of evidence, the defendants lack of knowledge of the judicial process, financial disparity, pressure to close a case, or lack of proper representation; the
With the current system, the victim is offended yet again with the belittling or downgrading of the offense to assure a conviction by the prosecution. While we would all like to see justice, the trading of deals for convictions should be better managed as not to make a mockery of the justice system we hold dear. Likewise, implementation of specific criteria for consideration of a plea bargain should put in place as not to allow a habitual offender the opportunity to plea just to save on the preparation time of a trial. Finally, as seen in the prison and jail populations, the number of offenders with multiple offences, having previously taken a plea is an indications that the use of the plea bargain is a detriment to the justice system as the habitual offender is not deterred from criminal activity because of the greater than average chance that the charges will be reduced in a plea. As such, the proposal of a review of criminal histories and again meeting specific criteria for considerations of a plea may be an option to